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Making the most of the time we have before they grow up.

Choosing to Send my Son to a Two Day a Week MDO in Addition to Homeschooling

Today we attended the meet the teacher event at the mother’s day out (MDO) program Maxwell will begin attending next week. It was sweet, the kids had fun, I got some questions answered, and everyone was super nice. Still, I’m left with some reservations, but based on my goals for Maxwell attending a school now I feel like I’m making the right decision to send him to this particular MDO (I looked over a dozen schools, MDOs, and educational programs and actually enrolled him in a montessori for 3 months in the spring-but that’s enough for an entire other post).

My Goals:
-Maxwell will develop social and emotional skills through positive structured play with his peers
-Maxwell will be able to follow directions of other adults
-Maxwell will grow his confidence in a safe environment that encourages independence
-Maxwell will create art, writing, and crafts on a regular basis
-Maxwell will have regular events, parties, and community building activities to anticipate.
-Most importantly, Maxwell will enjoy going to school and will develop a love of learning.

Notice, nowhere on this list do I include academic goals. Although I am by no means an expert on all subjects, I have been a teacher myself from grades prek3-8th grade and I do feel confident in my ability to oversee and track the academic development of my kids through at least kindergarten.

This is a good thing since neither of Maxwell’s MDO teachers are actually certified teachers. The academic snob in me wants to be worried about this, but considering that my main goals for Maxwell’s schooling outside of home amount to fun and socialization in a safe environment, the fact that the ladies seem knowledgeable, kind, warm, creative, and approachable are all of the certification they really need at this point.

In addition to socializing and developing Maxwell, the MDO will allow me to take Patrick to one-on-one classes and will allow me to more easily pursue some of my educational advocacy projects.

I hope to report back that Maxwell loves the school and that we find meaningful ways to integrate it into our continued daily homeschooling.